Aggressively betting a draw

[hockey1]

I've been working on aggressively betting draws and drawing hands lately. I found this hand interesting. Let me know what you think:

Loose Party 2/4. I'm dealt Q /images/graemlins/heart.gifJ /images/graemlins/heart.gif in CO. 5 limpers to me. I raise, button 3-bets. 4 of the 5 limpers call. I call.

Flop: 7 /images/graemlins/spade.gif2 /images/graemlins/heart.gif8 /images/graemlins/heart.gif Checked to me and I check (looking for the check-raise if there's a bettor and at least one other caller). Button obliges with the bet. Everybody calls to me. I raise. Button re-raises. One fold, 3 callers back to me. I cap. Everybody calls. 5 to the turn.

Turn: 7 /images/graemlins/heart.gif Well, there's my flush, but the board has paired. Checked to me. I bet. I figure that if somebody filled up I'd hear about it here. Button and one other call.

River: 2 /images/graemlins/club.gif check, I bet, button calls, fold.

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Button had a TT for the two pair.

[lil']

Nice hand, nice table!

[BigEndian]

My favorite play. Works great with lots of caller and works great with 1-2 callers when you don't care if they call or fold right there.

- Groove

[rkiray]

Preflop, I wouldn't raise. There are enough players that raising is fine, but with suited connectors I prefer to try to get in cheap to help keep my variance down. It would be an easy raise with KQs or AKs of course.

I liked the way you played the flop. Normally I wouldn't try for a cr from the co, but the button did 3 bet preflop, and it worked. If the button was passive at all I might have bet out. Cap is definitely correct with this many callers. Rest of the hand is simple.

[Mike]

Your raise is okay as long as you know you are changing your game from 2/4 to 4/8. I am sure you know you are risking skyrocketing your deviation looking at it from a 2/4 perspective.

Your hand play is okay, not sure I would be raising preflop, but I wasn't at the table either.

[hockey1]

[ QUOTE ]
Your raise is okay as long as you know you are changing your game from 2/4 to 4/8. I am sure you know you are risking skyrocketing your deviation looking at it from a 2/4 perspective.

[/ QUOTE ]

Right. I'm just looking for +EV. If it were close I might take risk aversion into account and tone down the aggressiveness, but I think that at least post-flop, with a high flush draw and two overcards, raising was substantially +EV.

[GuyOnTilt]

I would've played the exact same way on all streets. If your bankroll is below 200 BB's, I don't think you should raise preflop. It's a +EV play, but will increase your variance. Great check-raise on the flop, great value bet on the river. Nice hand, sir.

[Mike]

There sure isn't a better way to get money on the table then, other than robbing them! What makes it good is the opposition becomes tied to the pot, even when the flop barely helps their hands. Other players greed is the highest rate of return for our chip stacks. You seem to have a well thought out plan too, g/l.

[Mike Gallo]

Hockey,

Good hand, well played.

[ZManODS]

Do you think it would be better to raise preflop and fold unless the flop hits you, or is it better to see if the flop hits you then raise on the flop? Im assumming the latter... is this correct?

I personally dont like our hero's preflop raise without the nut flush. If a Q or J falls (1 or no hearts) im not really happy because my hand could be dominated. Its one of those hands where you cant maximize your profits but you can lose a lot. Even if you do hit 2 hearts on the flop you may run into some smuck (this is LL remember) holding AXs.

I need some insight on this.

[hockey1]

I think you're overestimating the likelihood of Axs or Kxs where I have 2 hearts and 3 more hit the board. Anyone know the probability on that? Plus the QJ makes 3 nut straights, so it plays very well multi-well.

[Mike Gallo]

Hockey,

You can do the math yourself. If not order Mike Petrivs Hold ems odds book.

[Bob T.]

I usually don't raise with this hand, but you were in the perfect situation to raise, in the cutoff, where you could also win the button and get control of the hand with your raise.

On the flop, you checkraised, but with my two moderate overcards, I would have given some consideration to betting out, and using the button's likely raise to try and eliminate some players, which might make my overcards good if I hit them. When he three bets, I frequently call, hoping to also get in a checkraise if I hit my hand.

When the pot is three bet preflop, don't worry when a 7 high board pairs, you are much more likely facing two pair.

[GuyOnTilt]

Do you think it would be better to raise preflop and fold unless the flop hits you, or is it better to see if the flop hits you then raise on the flop? Im assumming the latter... is this correct?

No. Our hero raises preflop in this spot for several reasons. First, he can buy the button. Second, there are 5 limpers to him and his hand plays very well in large multiway pots. Third, if the limpers are weak, there is a huge advantage to being the aggressor in the hand. Fourth, it will tie your opponents into the pot when you flop a good draw, something which isn't hard to do with QJs. There may be more reasons that I'm forgetting, but that's all I can think of off of the top of my head with no sleep last night...